§ Mr. Richardasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities have sought the advice of his Department pursuant to his Circular 54/64; what further steps are under consideration in regard to the housing of the young chronic sick; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacCollThe precise information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available; there are frequent day-to-day contacts between the Ministry's architects, at regional offices as well as 583W in Whitehall, and records of these discussions, which are often informal, are not always kept.
Most chronic sick and handicapped people whose condition does not require them to stay in residential homes or in hospital live with their families; the main way in which they can be assisted with housing is in the adaptation of dwellings to make them suitable for their special needs. The chief responsibility for this falls on welfare authorities, using their existing powers to promote the welfare of the handicapped; but the Ministry's Research and Development Group hope to include some dwellings designed specifically to meet the needs of the disabled in a future experimental project. The design will take account of recent surveys into the requirements of the disabled and the object will be to issue further advice to local authorities.